Would you buy relic or non relic

Gassage

Neither.

Cut out the middleman and buy vintage. Win/win

4114Effects

Gassage said:

Neither.

Cut out the middleman and buy vintage. Win/win

Except for you wallet. :-)

kjdowd

Personally I like a relic. But then the way I treat guitars it just takes the stress out of dinging a brand new shiny one. 

Just picked up an Eastman t59/v and while I would have shared the reluctance for relicing a 335 style guitar that some have voiced, it looks the absolute business.  

crunchman

Gassage said:

Neither.

Cut out the middleman and buy vintage fake. Win/win

Corrected for you.

Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but the vintage market is a complete and utter minefield.

dogload

I would buy any guitar that was 'the right guitar at the right price'. 

Gagaryn

Gassage said:

Neither.

Cut out the middleman and buy vintage. Win/win

My vintage guitar is in much better condition than the relics - most are!

guitars4you

I have a 120 year old terrace house
needed new internal door fittings for old original doors. New fittings would look so wrong. So purchased replica aged parts. You can't tell the difference 

Ravenous

I stopped whinging and checked Fender Custom Shop prices (there was a PDF file of options on Anderton's web site, a few years old but good enough.)

Without ageing is the basic option - ageing can be added for £100 to £300 depending on how much spanking you like.  (Yes apparently spanking is not free.)

So that answers all my questions - I'd just have the new finish one without any ageing. If anyone asked how why my 50s Strat (or whatever) looked so new, I'd just tell them it's not real it's a reissue.  I honestly see no shame in that...

xchrisv

For me it's primarily about the feel – I just don't like playing a glossy, new-feeling neck. Some of the best faux-aged guitars I've played by the likes of Dennis Fano, Dale Wilson at the Custom Shop etc manage to capture that beautiful feel of an old Fender neck that's nearly worn down to the bare wood but still has a lovely sheen. I would pay extra for that because it'll make me pick up the guitar more often. I can't imagine a scenario in which I'll be able to afford a vintage instrument from my preferred era any time soon, so it's the only way to get what I want right now. And I've been playing for long enough to know exactly what I want. 

Also, to the haters: calm down, it's optional. Nobody is breaking into your house and relic'ing your guitar while you sleep. People still make pristine instruments too.